Finding the Light Amongst the Darkness
by saiki.kensuke.yuuta
Summary: Darkfic, Deathfic. SchuKen, YoKen, RanKen. How much can one heart take? Reviews always appreciated! More info inside. NOT YET COMPLETE.
1. Practice

Author's Note: Recently needed a small break from my other fic placed in a different fandom. I need to recharge and reorganize my ideas for that fic. Of course, this doesn't mean I'm abandoning that fic, I just needed a slight change of scenery. I wanted to leave the happy stuff for a bit of angst a while, so I can balance things out. Truly hope you enjoy!

**Reviews, especially constructive ones are wholly appreciated! **When I have the time, I'll definitely send a 'thank you' response in return.

Disclaimer: I do not own Weiss or the boys. If I did, the artist would be my slave…hahaha. I'd have all the characters drawn for me personally ten times over.

Pairings: SchuKen in the beginning, then YoKen, and ends with RanKen. For those of you familiar with my mess of pairings in my other fics, once again I ask that you give the fic a chance. I hope you will agree with my choice of pairings as well. If not, feel free to comment on that as well in your review! Thanks!

Warnings: The rating for this fic was mostly for some language, drug and sexual references, and its overall dark nature. The characters might also be a bit ooc...this is how I see them, not to mention I haven't refreshed myself on the anime in a while. No time anymore! Gah!

Fic Note: This is a bit of an alternate universe in which there is no real rivalry between Weiss and Schwarz. In fact, I decided not to place much of the actual story plot in here, save for the fact that all my favorite characters (including ones I'm only partially fond of) are included here. They're all very human, meaning Schuldich won't have his usual mental breakdown powers. The only part of the Weiss story I included here mostly was the fact that the boys are all friends and they work at a flower shop. Hope no one finds that sacrilegious or anything.

The following information is used for this fic: First things first, I will be using Ran's sister in this fic, so Ran will be Ran and Aya will be Aya. For this chapter and the next few chapters (until I mention a time shift), Ken is 19, Schuldich is 22. During that same time frame, the following information is assumed: Aya is 15, Omi is 17, Yoji is 22, and Ran is 20. There will be a time shift after that, but that will be mentioned in the fic. I guess in the end that information is not really necessary, but it's just something I visualized while writing this piece. Anyways, I do hope everyone enjoys this mini-project!

* * *

**_Finding the Light Amongst the Darkness_**

**Practice**

Summer fever was settling in. It was only the month of May, but the smell of school ending was strong as ever. The children were leaving their preset roles of obedience and were starting to give way into the natural habits of rebellion against authority figures, as was the usual case in fifth graders about to graduate from grade school and about to step into their junior high uniforms for a shift in responsibility and scenery. In Ken's eyes, however, the fact that there was only about four weeks left of school was no reasonable excuse to allow the children to slack or break rules while playing soccer. In fact, he expected these children to be more fired up for the end of the year game.

Ken's whistle let out a shriek as he tried to get the young boys and girls in order. He ran a hand through his hair, frustratingly whistling in different patterns and strengths, trying to obtain the attention of his students.

"Kyo! You can't just switch back and forth from offense to defense whenever you feel like it! You confuse the players!" Ken said to a young brunette exasperatedly.

The little one named Kyo turned his head and shot Ken a confused look, "But you do it _a lot, _sensei! Sometimes you even play the goal!"

"No I---" Ken had been about to say he never played all positions when he realized something and broke into a big grin, "That's different, Kyo. I have to play all positions to show each player what they're doing right and what they're doing wrong, that's all. I'm not really playing."

"But you look like you're playing!"

"No, I'm not playing, I'm just teaching."

"Teaching is playing too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is---oh, never mind. I guess my teaching _is _a sort of playing," Ken admitted.

Little Kyo's face broke into one filled with great pride and accomplishment. Ken couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "All right!" he said to the kids, clapping his hands together, "That's it for today's practice, time to go home!"

"Awwwww!" came the expected whines.

Ken grinned, "Hey! Don't worry, there's always tomorrow, I promise."

"Yeah!" Ken watched the kids run off to meet their parents' cars parked on the side of the road at the top of a hill. His gaze followed them just up to the bleachers when something stopped him.

There was a single man sitting there, watching him with his arms crossed over his chest and one leg over the other. Ken felt a small blush rise to his cheeks from the awkward situation and rubbed the back of his neck, averting his gaze from the mysterious man. He bent down to pack his equipment and head for him. By the time he looked up again, the man was gone. Deciding that the man was just simply a passerby interested in the junior league's soccer game, he paid no extra mind and headed for his motorcycle, bag slung over his chest.

The ride home was mostly uneventful. For some reason Ken's thoughts wandered to that man on the bleachers, just out of curiosity. He wondered how long the man had been there, what had drawn him there, and if he'd ever come before and Ken just never noticed him. An eerie feeling ran up his spine when the last thought crossed his mind. He wondered if maybe the man was a stalker.

He got home within twenty minutes, just like any other day. He went up to his third floor apartment and walked in, took a shower, made himself some eggs and rice for a quick dinner since he didn't feel like cooking, and went straight to bed soon afterwards. He fell asleep as soon as he hit the pillow, immediately comfortable with the familiarity of his home, and wandered into the realm of blissful sleep, strange man and the bleachers long forgotten.

The next day was no different. "Hey!" Ken shouted as he ran across the field to reach a little girl crying and holding her leg. He bent down and asked, "What happened?"

One of the boys tried to explain what had occurred, "Well, Kyo was making us all race and then---"

Ken groaned, "Kyo again? Where is he?"

"Waaaah!" the girl's wails brought Ken back to focus on the situation at hand. He would deal with Kyo later.

He was just about to turn and get the first aid kid when his face almost ran into just what he was looking for. "Need this…?" came a rich and heavily accented voice.

He froze and so did the children. They gathered behind him and observed this new person with curiosity. Ken's gaze slowly rose from the hand holding the box up to the face and he was stunned by what he saw. It was the man from yesterday, wearing a nice and fitted white shirt, black pants, and a blue hat that looked like something only a cop would wear. The feature that caught his greatest attention was the man's red hair, which had a pair of sunglasses tucked into the mess, and striking green eyes. He took in a sharp intake of breath, a bit shocked at how close the man was.

The man squatted down to his level and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "You're not going to treat it? She's going to get infected…"

Ken blinked and then shook his head furiously, as if trying to clear it. "R-right!" he took the kit from the other and turned to give the young girl his full attention. When Ken turned to thank the man, the other was already walking past the bleachers heading for wherever his destination might be. Ken felt a slight trace of disappointment; there was more he wanted to know about this person.

"Sensei, who was that…?" came a familiar voice.

"Not sure…" Ken trailed off a moment and then a frown came to his face when he recognized the voice, "Kyo! You have a lot of explaining to do!"

"Ahhh!" came Kyo's scream as Ken chased the boy around the field, the other kids watching and laughing at the funny scene they made.

Soon it was time to go home. "All right guys," Ken said to them, "Time to head on home. Be sure to play safe over the weekend and be ready for our final few practices next week!"

Ken smiled and once again watched the children run past the bleachers and up the hill to their parents' cars. He was half-expecting to see the man sitting where he had been the past few days, but felt slight disappointment when there was no one there. "Of course he isn't there…" Ken muttered to himself, "You saw him leave after helping you just a while ago…"

He went home straight, as usual, lost in his own flurry of thoughts about the game, about the man, and finally how he would have to punish Kyo to get through to the young boy's mind that he couldn't get away with everything in this world. No matter how many other thoughts ran through his mind, however, he just couldn't get the stunning image from that day from his thoughts. The man was slowly breaking into his daily thought processes with his air of mystery. Somehow, in the midst of all that thinking, Ken managed to get some sleep that night. Soon after, he woke up to a beautiful Saturday morning.

Saturday was his free day. As much as Ken loved children, he needed moments to himself as well. Of course, his place of choice didn't change. Immediately he got changed into more casual clothing and went as quickly as possible to the practice field, this time with only his ball and water bottle.

The sun was shining brightly on his back and warming his face as he began his typical drills. He closed his eyes and felt a tinge of nostalgia at the feeling; he could almost hear the cheers of the crowd and the offers he could have pursued to go pro. Those dreams were long over. He was nineteen and still had no real future in mind, teaching young children to play the sport he loved was enough.

"Even on the weekends, he plays the game. He's married to the sport," the amused voice of his narrator shattered the peaceful moment.

Ken opened his eyes and blinked when he saw the mysterious man once again standing before him, just as attractive as ever. Ken flashed a goofy smile. "Yeah…can't imagine my life without playing the game."

"I see."

It was a slightly awkward silence between them a moment. Ken kicked the ball up to his waist and caught it, letting his hand rest at his side. "So…who _are _you, anyway? You come by our practices a lot."

The man chuckled at Ken's blunt question. "Just a passerby."

"You sure pass by a lot…"

"Only recently."

"Oh?"

"I only recently took interest in walking about this side of town," the redhead said honestly, his eyes seemed a bit distant for a moment, but they returned his attention to Ken quickly, "I was captivated by a beautiful brunette with a lovely smile."

Ken felt a flush rise in his cheeks as he realized what the man was saying. This hadn't been the first time he had been hit on by members of either sex. In fact, he didn't mind holding relationships with either one, but normally he was used to the casualness of each experience. He never got too emotionally or even physically involved. Each relationship was filled with just simple companionship---a shoulder to cry on and a person to rely on or talk to.

Realizing the man wanted him to say something, he smiled. "I…never got your name."

The other man laughed. "Oh, how silly of me. _Schuldich. _You?"

Ken felt a pleasurable shiver run through him upon hearing the German's accent. "Ken. Ken Hidaka."

The man, now known as Schuldich, grinned. "Well then, Ken _Hidaka_. You've been working hard all week. May I treat you to a drink?"

Ken was just about to protest since he had a water bottle, but his eyes trailed down from Schuldich's smug look down to the man's right hand. He was holding Ken's bottle, with nothing left inside it. "I tried to bring this over to you, but it seems that it has a leak."

Ken snatched the bottle from the German and inspected it carefully. Sure enough, there was a hole punctured near the bottom. Ken frowned; he hadn't noticed the hole when he had taken the bottle out of his fridge that morning. Eyeing the hole even more carefully, he noticed that there was a tint around the hole. It was no accident. He looked up at Schuldich, who merely shrugged and pretended not to know anything. There was no way that the hole had been made naturally. Schuldich had used some kind of pencil or pen to incision the hole.

Forgiving him, however, Ken sighed and allowed himself a small smile. Thinking on the brighter side of the situation, now would be a great time to get to know this _Schuldich_. "All right," Ken said and started walking away from Schuldich, "You may treat me."

"Then where are you going?"

Ken turned and raised an eyebrow. "I'm going to follow you, of course."

"I have a ride."

Ken smiled, "Don't worry, I'll follow you." He pointed over towards his bike, "There's no way in heck I'm going to risk leaving my baby out in the open for however long we're going to take."

Schuldich took one look at the bike, then at Ken, then back at the bike again and nodded. "All right, I'll give you that. I wouldn't leave my car alone and out of my sight either, but you will promise to come the whole way?"

Ken hesitated a moment, for the request confused him. "Yeah, that was the plan...?"

"Excellent," came the pleased reply.

Never once did Ken wonder or think to question where in the world Schuldich was going to lead him for this 'drink'. Never once did he feel a rising suspicion when they drove several miles out to the middle of nowhere, into a shady part of the city. The only thought on Ken's mind was how curious this Schuldich was and how he wanted to know more about the man. After all, this was _Ken_.

All the warning signals blared in his mind only after parking behind Schuldich in front of a shady looking run down building. Schuldich got out of his car and took an appreciative look at Ken. There was a mixture of amazement that Ken actually kept his word and a sense of victory that he had managed to drag the young boy this far.

It was about to get a lot more interesting. Ken's life was going to change forever---in more ways than one.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**Saikenyuu- **So what do you all think? This fic was inspired after looking through my old Weiss stuff…I realized I always shift between the SchuKen, YoKen, RanKen pairings. I can't seem to decide which one. Since I have a fic where SchuKen wins and one with YoKen…I thought…why not just try a RanKen? But yeah, in the end, I just adore Ken! Anyone have a specific preference from those three? Just curious. Well! Onto the next chapter!

Btw, I'm kind of unsure about this fic, so all reviews would be quite helpful! _Le sigh. _Although since it's only the first chapter, it might be a little hard to make some concrete reviews...must...work...harder!But I'm definietly having fun. Hope this works out!


	2. Late Night Addiction

Author's Note: Did you all know I did quite a bit of research for this fic? It makes me laugh just thinking about how late I stayed up trying to gather all the information I needed the first night!

**As usual, reader reviews are loved! I thank those who decide to review in advance for taking the time to consider the aspects of this fic.**

Disclaimer: Refer to Chapter 1.

Pairings: SchuKen here.

Warnings: All in first chapter.

Fic Note: Well, welcome to the second chapter! Since this is a break fic from my other current project, I'm not 100 percent sure about where it's going, but I'm still working on it to make sure it has enough quality and doesn't come off too dry! In fact, the coming off too dry is the main thing I'm worried about. Let me know!

**Rosefairietalered- **Thank you for being the first reviewer for this fic! It really helped me in making this chapter…since I picked up the review while on a writer's downlow on this thing, haha. I remember you from somewhere, but I can't remember where. Have you read something else of mine? Hahaha. Please refresh my memory!

**Katzchen- **Yeah, I tend to do mean things to the characters I like most. I have no clue why, that's just what usually ends up happening!

**Chahiya- **Thank you so much, I really appreciate hearing that, no matter how little or how many times I've been told. I personally was really skeptical about the beginning of this fic, so that encouraged me to continue. I personally like this chapter far better than the first, which I personally think was slightly dryer than my usually vivid beginnings…but that's just a personal opinion. Hopefully you enjoy this chapter and the chapters to come!

**Samantha-Maeve- **Haha, well, this is going in that direction. And maybe you'll like Yoji a bit more after this fic, who knows. Oh, and hopefully this was a fast enough update for you!

**M4r1-ch4n- **What language do you normally write in? And I hope your curiosity of Schu is a bit more satisfied in this chapter. Thank you for your comment on my style…I'm still trying my best to improve it. And also once again, I hope this was a quick enough update for your liking!

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**Late Night Addiction**

The first thing Ken noticed upon entering what appeared to be just another abandoned building was the poor quality of the space. Half the building looked like it had been blown away by something quite strong, Ken guessed it was probably due to a wrecking ball or something. The second thing he noticed was the strange smell coming from the entranceway where Schuldich was waiting, slightly impatiently, for him. He quickly followed, not once thinking about turning back or getting in too deep.

Inside was a completely different atmosphere. It was as if he stepped out of his world of beauty into the land of the wild and corrupted. What was left of the bottom five floors of the ten-story building was dedicated to some kind of shady bar and hotel setting. From what he could tell as they climbed up to the third floor, the bottom two floors had the walls knocked down, only the support beams remained to keep the upper floors from crashing down below, leaving the place dedicated to those that wanted to dance. There were several tables scattered around and a small bar at the end of one of the dance floors where a group of shady looking men were gathered. Ken was led to that area.

Immediately he felt uneasy when he felt hungry stares fall on his inviting body. He felt Schuldich's arm sling across his shoulders and bring him inward. "Relax…" whispered the seductive voice in his ear, "Let's enjoy the night, okay?"

Ken blinked. So shocked by everything that was happening, he had nearly forgotten why he had followed Schuldich here in the first place. "I thought you were getting me a drink?" he hissed.

The German gave a sly smile. "Oh yes, the _drink_."

One of the greasy men raised a hand in greeting to Schuldich. "Hey Schu! Who's the kitty?"

Ken felt his heart beat quickly. He wanted to get out of this place. Before he could turn and make a run for it, however, Schuldich brought him close and pushed his face in the crook of Ken's neck, causing the younger boy to shiver with slight pleasure. Schuldich grinned at the man, "He's just with me, that's all."

"With you? He doesn't have a name?"

Schuldich must have sensed his slight discomfort, but wouldn't let Ken escape, not since they got this far. "No, not today. This one'll be nameless."

"Hah! That'll be the first then!"

"Hey, are we really just getting a drink?" Ken asked.

"Hn…you talk too much, kitten," Schuldich purred. He ordered two tequilas for them to drink.

Ken frowned and pushed the tequila away. "No thanks…I don't drink those…"

Schuldich's grip on his shoulder seemed to tighten slightly as he brought the brunette closer to him. With his other hand he raised it to Ken's lips. "C'mon…just take one sip. I promise you that you will feel _amazing_."

Ken's breathing hitched and he flustered from the closeness of the other man. He grimaced and politely turned his head. "No…I don't drink," he said firmly.

Schuldich's hand slid conveniently down from Ken's shoulder and rested at the brunette's hip. He grinned and raised the glass towards him once again before putting it to his lips to take down. "Well then, suit yourself."

Ken slowly followed with his own hand and rested it on Schuldich's. The German looked at the brunette, who now appeared contemplative, appreciatively from the corner of his eye. Ken, on the other hand, was frustrated. He had commanded his body to pry Schuldich's hand off immediately and run for his bike, but instead one of his hands was gripping Schuldich's lightly. He was slightly afraid and frozen to the spot. He wondered if perhaps the alcoholic beverage would have made him feel any better, as Schuldich said.

"What's the matter, kitten?" Schuldich's seductive whisper graced his ears once again. Ken shivered. Without warning, Schuldich's mouth was already on his own, the scene they made earning appreciative and hungry glances.

Ken only half-heartedly wanted to pull away from the sudden advance. There was something alluring about the kiss, electrifying him to the spot. Different from flutters of casual kisses from previous lovers. He felt a thrill from the situation as well, the fact that it was so bold and daring to be kissing so openly in public like this, when he was used to performing this kind of act in a more private setting. For the first time he was not in control, but a power exchange was occurring, with Schuldich handling the lead.

He frowned when he felt Schuldich pull away, shiver, and then mumble something under his breath. "What?" he asked.

"…oo…ld…"

Ken gently lifted Schuldich's face so he could see the other man. He was shocked with what he saw. Somewhere during their brief make out session, Schuldich's expression had changed completely from calm and collected to that of a hungry beast. Schuldich continued to shiver and grabbed Ken roughly by the shoulders, leaning forward to have another taste of the brunette's lips. Once again he pulled away from Ken before the other could protest against his advances. He appeared exhausted. Schuldich rested his unusually warm cheek to meet Ken's and brought the other man in for an embrace, still shivering.

Finally, Ken could catch the crazy mutters through the clacking of teeth. "I don't understand…so cold…why can't you warm me? Freezing…" came the heavily accented English, the phrases laced with several words Ken couldn't understand the meaning of and assumed they were from the German's native language. Most likely cursing.

He brought his hand to the redhead's forehead and frowned. He pried Schuldich away from him and shook the man gently. "Hey, you got a fever. We'd better get out of here, okay?"

Schuldich never had a chance to consent or protest. Ken had him on his feet immediately and started to lead the man out of the club-like setting. "Hey, you with the dying man!" came a vile voice.

Ken turned and raised a disapproving eyebrow at a perverted middle-aged man groping at a woman on his lap. He grinned at Ken and tilted his head in the direction of Schuldich. "He's going to need to take a hit soon. He looks pretty pathetic."

Confused at the man's meaning, Ken ignored the man and the woman's laughter as he pushed his way out of the club with Schuldich. Once outside, he put Schuldich down against a wall and squatted down beside the man, head lowered and huffing, trying to organize his thoughts and pull himself together from all the commotion. He put his hand against Schuldich's forehead again but found that his fever was only getting worse.

Ken shook the German gently. "Hey…hey…stay with me, all right? You got your car keys?"

Schuldich didn't respond. His eyes were rolling back and he kept on shivering and chattering his teeth. Ken sighed and scanned the area for Schuldich's car and couldn't recognize it in the darkness. He cursed inwardly, deciding that he didn't have time to go car hunting.

Ken turned back to look at Schuldich. "Hey…I'm going to take you to my bike…and you'd better hold on damn tight, all right man?"

"Nn…" was the only response the German uttered. In Ken's opinion, it was permission enough to go through with his risky plan.

Without further hesitation, Ken turned around and hoisted Schuldich on his back and staggered over to his bike. Somehow he managed to get Schuldich to position behind him. He took his single helmet and fixed it on the German's head and then let out a loud sigh. He felt a bit more relaxed when he felt the German's grip tighten on his shirt. Ken moved the hands so that they clasped in front of him. He revved up his engine.

"All right, you'd better not let go, hear me?" Ken shouted over the engine. Hands tightened slightly at Ken's waist in response.

Ken wasn't much of a religious person, but he prayed with all his might the entire way home that his man wouldn't fall off his ride. Amazingly, the redhead somehow managed to hang on.

* * *

Schuldich stirred when he felt the damp towel cool his forehead. He blinked and groaned immediately when his eyes made contact with the sunlight. His vision was blurred and he felt sick from trying to adjust to the new scenery. He could barely hear a voice speaking to him and a massive headache seared through his brain. Almost an instant reaction, he quickly leaned over the bed and began to heave. Something was pushed in his direction and Schuldich spewed into the bin and felt someone patting him on the back while he relieved himself. Not too long afterwards, Schuldich rolled back into the bed and blacked out.

When he woke up again, it was night. Schuldich's heart was pounding and he still had a dull throb in his temple. He cautiously took in a sweep of the room. He felt a slight twist in his stomach when he realized he was no longer at the club and he wasn't at his own house. Schuldich wondered if he had followed someone home; he began to run through his mind a list of what could have happened since he had gone to the club. He could have found someone and gotten laid, which would explain why he was lying in a foreign bedroom, or he could have been the one who had enjoyed the sexual partner. He quickly ruled all possibility of sex, however, when his eyes landed on Ken. The brunette was fast asleep on the floor beside him.

If they had done anything, there were no signs of it anywhere in the room. As Schuldich became more aware of himself, he was almost sure that nothing had happened between them, since Schuldich didn't feel any different physically, besides the fact that he was slowly recovering. He relaxed and put his head back down on the pillow, looking at Ken and contemplating within himself. He wondered why Ken had brought him to what appeared to be Ken's apartment. His mind soon began to wander in the realm of the impure. Schuldich's hand lingered close to Ken's face and he licked his lips, slowly remembering Ken's taste when suddenly he felt a grip at his heart.

Frantic, he shook a peacefully sleeping Ken furiously. "Wha---what? What!" Ken jolted upright, slowly reorienting himself with the real world.

Ken's eyes soon locked with Schuldich's and he held a hand over his heart, startled. He closed his eyes and gulped once before looking at the German again. "Geez…you scared me…you all right?" he whispered.

Schuldich half-smiled apologetically, under normal circumstances he would never have woken up someone sleeping so contentedly. "Sorry…where is my jacket?"

Ken groaned softly and rubbed his eyes. He flopped back onto his pillow and let the question sink in a moment. "I put it in the closet with my clothing, why? You want it…?"

Schuldich nodded appreciatively. "I would like that very much," he croaked.

"Mm…" Ken reluctantly got up from the comforts of his makeshift bed and stumbled across the room. "Cover your eyes…"

Schuldich did as he was told and felt his eyeballs adjust to the light behind his lids. He was amused when he heard Ken groan once again; the boy had obviously not taken his own advice.

He only opened his eyes again when he felt his jacket fall into his lap, and when the weight on the bed shifted as Ken climbed onto it. He flinched upon feeling a cool hand on his forehead. "Your fever's finally down…"

Schuldich looked up at Ken just then, flashing him an indescribable look. Ken shifted uneasily and withdrew his hand. "What…? What now?" he said, slightly irritated. Schuldich had put him through a lot recently.

Schuldich half-smiled, "Did we…do anything last night?"

Ken frowned, "Are you kidding me? After the condition you were in? There's no way we would have done anything. And besides…I never would have _done _anything with a complete stranger anyway." Ken blushed.

Schuldich chuckled. "Whatever you say, kitten…" he said half-heartedly.

Ken watched with a tinge of regret as Schuldich slipped on his jacket. "You…leaving?"

Schuldich got up and stretched. "Yeah, I've got to get back to my car…wherever the hell it is now."

"It should still be at that…place."

Schuldich tilted his neck to the side and let it crack. "Excellent. Then I'll be going now," he turned to leave.

Without thinking, Ken grabbed the German by the arm. "Wait."

Schuldich looked confused. "Hm…? Did I forget something?"

Ken got up and brushed past him. "Just hold on…let me get my jacket."

The redhead watched him, amused. "Why? You coming with me?"

Ken snorted, "Hah! Not like I want to, anyway…but there's no way I can just let you walk all the way there…"

"Why not? I've done it before. Probably from a further distance too."

"Well…I'll just take you anyway!" Ken stated stubbornly.

Schuldich half-smiled, "I appreciate the gesture but---"

"Come on, we're going." Ken grabbed Schuldich by the arm and led him outside the door. Schuldich, surprised at the forceful gesture, just dumbly followed.

"You're still not in perfect condition. I'd feel damn guilty if I just let you roam free on the streets, vulnerable," Ken explained, face slightly flushed. It had been a while since he had given little more than a thought to anyone other than himself or the kids he taught.

The normally detached German found himself allowing a small smile. He found Ken's sudden bold nature rather adorable. That was why he allowed Ken to give him a ride to his car at the club, where the party was probably still raging.

* * *

Ken watched as Schuldich lit a cigarette, leaning against his car. His nose crinkled in distaste. Schuldich noticed and grinned. "I know what you're thinking. Cancer sticks or something, right?"

"Heh."

Schuldich exhaled, some smoke coming out through his nostrils. He ran a hand through his hair and looked at Ken out of the corner of his eye. "So…why are you still here, anyway?"

Ken flustered, he had nothing to say to that. "Well…I uh…"

Schuldich smirked. "I have the perfect idea. Why don't you just come over to my place?"

Ken looked up at him, surprised. Schuldich smiled, "Yeah, I don't see the harm in it. In fact…we could have quite a lot of fun, hm?"

Ken blushed, not wanting to know and wanting to know at the same time what Schuldich may have been implying. Although the offer was tempting, better judgment was _finally _kicking in and telling Ken that he had gone through enough excitement to last him quite a while, and that he should really turn back and go home.

So he did.

Schuldich blinked, watching the trail of dust Ken's bike had left behind. At first he was shocked that Ken had up and left so quickly without another word, but then he found himself becoming more intrigued with the brunette. He put out his cigarette and hopped into his car. "We will meet again…" he assured himself as he started up the car and headed for home.

Ken arrived at his house early in the morning; he hadn't gone home right away. In fact, he had wasted a good deal of gas money roaming around aimlessly on the roads, trying to vent out his frustration. The whole ordeal had ended for him too soon. There was much left to be yearned for, but fate had cut him off before his curiosity could be fulfilled.

When he arrived home, he hadn't bothered to take a shower. He headed straight for his bed, deciding that he'd clean up the mess on the floor later. Right when he was about to hit the pillow, he spotted something unfamiliar on his mattress. His fingers brushed over a small packet that had been left on his bed by Schuldich. Upon closer inspection, Ken noticed that it was a white powder. Not entirely sure what it was, Ken threw the packet into his nightstand drawer absently and then flopped onto his bed. He would return the packet to Schuldich at a later date, whenever they would meet again. Ken assumed he would see the redhead at Monday's practice.

* * *

Almost a whole month passed by. At first, Ken almost went crazy at night, trying to get the thought of Schuldich off of his mind. As days passed, however, Ken found it easier to slowly forget the German and the crazy nights he had experienced since. Soon, he was once again a laid-back teacher whose daily thoughts only consisted of sports and dreams of a beach vacation. Sometimes it would randomly bother him that he never saw the German around on the playing field anymore, not even for a single visit. Sometimes it would more than bother him, but in the end, he always ended up tucking the thought further and further back into his mind.

Every day became a monotonous routine. He would wake up, take a morning jog, fit in brunch, teach the children, come home to take a shower, then he would do a few cool-down exercises before going straight to bed for a good night's sleep. He only ate dinner every other night, and when he did, it was a light meal.

Then one day he ran across Schuldich on purely coincidental circumstances. He had been crossing the street from practice with the kids when he spotted Schuldich turning the corner on the other side. He sprinted across the crosswalk and quickly tried to follow him. Schuldich ended up indirectly leading him to a more run-down side of town. Ken kept his distance, hiding quickly whenever Schuldich turned around, as if expecting some sort of presence.

He stopped and watched Schuldich go into a dimly lit alleyway and speak to a shady looking man there. Ken's eyes widened slightly when he slowly pieced together what he was seeing. Schuldich was exchanging money with the man to obtain the strange white powder that Ken had found on his bed weeks before. From watching plenty of movies, Ken was able to deduct that this was some sort of drug business deal. Ken felt his heart drop in disappointment, even though he wasn't entirely shocked, this was still a bit unexpected.

A slick voice broke him out of his thoughts. "Looking for a good time, beautiful?" said the unfamiliar voice.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**Saikenyuu- **Wonder what you're all thinking right now…? That chapter was a crazy and a long one to write. No clue if the other chapters are going to be longer or shorter or just about the same…

Regardless, hopefully everyone enjoyed! Hope to see you again soon for next chapter! From now on, I'm planning for there to be a lot more character interactions now that the two information chapters have been set out! We'll see!


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